MassMutual Wishes a Happy Diwali

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Oct 25, 2011

(Springfield, MA)- Diwali, the “Festival of Lights,” is one of the largest cultural celebrations of the Asian-Indian community in the United States; Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) marks the occasion and its commitment to serving the unique financial needs of this community with an ad and a 2012 calendar poster featuring the traditional decorative folk art of India, Rangoli.

Rangoli artwork is decorative designs — usually created on floors of living rooms or courtyards during festivals — meant as sacred welcoming areas.See a videoshowing how the Rangoli design was created for MassMutual’s ad.

The common practice of lighting Diyas (small oil lamps) to illuminate every corner of India, reminds Asian Indians everywhere of the light that empowers them to commit themselves to good deeds and reinforces the importance of families. Diwali is a 5-day festival that is celebrated with family and friends, exchanging sweets and enjoying fireworks shows.

"Diwali is an ideal time for Asian Indians to think about their financial well being,” said Wonhong Lee, director of the Asian Indian market development for MassMutual. “Because Asian-Indians define family much more broadly than other cultural communities, they may have a greater need to provide a secure financial future, not only for themselves, but also for their children, aging parents, in-laws, aunts, uncles and cousins.”

The importance of Asian Indian families is underscored in MassMutual’s State of the American Family research series* with more than half of the Asian-Indian respondents indicating that they always think about what would be best for both their immediate and extended family, when making financial decisions. Only 38 percent of all respondents to the study indicated as much. Download asummary of the resultsfrom the study.

With so many family members’ futures to plan for, here are some tips to help Asian-Indian families get started with their Diwali planning for financial well being:

1) What is important to me?

Before even thinking about the right financial products for your needs, clarify what’s truly important to you – the people whom you care about, the aspirations you have, the things you want to protect, and the support you’d like to give to others.

2) Who depends on me today, and who might depend on me tomorrow?

This question should be at the heart of your decision-making process, and is one that should be answered well before you consider what financial solutions you need and in what amount. As a matter of fact, answers to those more traditional questions of “what kind” and “how much” really depend… well, on your dependents! Think carefully about who depends on you today and who might in the future. While spouses and children are commonly thought of as the most obvious dependents, there can be others – for example, parents, in-laws or siblings who, due to age, disability, or other circumstances, may be unable to care for themselves. Even individuals who are single without a family have dependents – namely, themselves – since their well-being depends on their own ability to earn an income.

3) Who is providing for my dependents now?

Have you considered if there is someone in your family who provides non-financial, but invaluable, support to those whom you care about? Think of stay-at-home parents; they may not support their families with earned income, but the support they do provide is just as valuable as any paycheck. And if a stay-at-home parent were unable to provide that support, it would surely be expensive to replace. For this reason, when you develop your financial strategy, it’s important to make sure that you account for all of the people who provide essential financial or non-financial support to your dependents.

With a beautiful depiction of Rangoli, MassMutual wishes Asian-Indians across the U.S. a happy Diwali and a prosperous new year. Look for our ad in national Asian-Indian publications or on MassMutual.com/AsianIndian. To find more tips and tools to help Asian-Indian families evaluate their financial well being during this holiday season, visit MassMutual.com/asianindian. For information about a career in financial services, visit massmutualcareers.com or call 413.744.4748.

With a beautiful depiction of Rangoli, MassMutual wishes Asian-Indians across the U.S. a happy Diwali and a prosperous new year. Look for our ad in national Asian-Indian publications or onwww.massmutual.com/asianindian. To find more tips and tools to help Asian-Indian families evaluate their financial well being during this holiday season, visitwww.massmutual.com/asianindian. For information about a career in financial services, visitwww.massmutualcareers.comor call 413.744.4748.

* The second nationwide study in Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company’s State of the American Family: Asian Indian Findings, conducted by Forbes Consulting Group, Feb. 2011.

About MassMutual

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutuallife insurance companythat is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyholders. The company has a long history offinancial strengthand strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders every year since the 1860s. Withwhole life insuranceas its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such aslife insurance,disability income insurance,long term care insurance,retirement/401(k) plan services, andannuities. In addition, the company’s strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, MemberFINRAandSIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

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